A Change Of Scene: The Division
by Shedauwz
Summary: A single change. That's all one needs to set a chain reaction altering reality. Yet this change could not be seen by the naked eye. It stayed in the shadows, away from the official records. It remained in a place where stories too dangerous to witness were stored. This is where they formed, united, and grew into the thorns that protect that which is sacred.
1. Composition

_**A/N:** Sooooooooo... yeeeeeaaaaaah. I couldn't resist. While I'm slowly writing **Memoirs of Desolation**, I kept reading up on **A Change of Scene**, and... well, I just **had** to do this. Do what, you ask? Well, write a prequel, of course. The prequel following my OC, **Nova Belcross**. Nyaahaha. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you read._

_Before you ask, yes, I did get Kuroyagi's permission. Go read his story - **A Change of Scene **- before you read this one._

* * *

_**A Change of Scene: The Division**_

* * *

It was cold.

His eyes were open, yet all he saw was darkness. He could feel that it was cold; much too cold. His body must have been slowly shutting down for him to feel this way. It was much too strange to be this cold in this continent and this particular time of the year. He couldn't move his body, but he didn't need his eyes to realize that he was on his knees, his hands bound by shackles behind his back. It was strange; despite being bound like this, he should have been able to break free relatively easily, but the shackles wouldn't budge.

He tried talking, but the words escaped his mouth as nothing but a weak whimper, a liquid tasting of metal gushing out of his throat like an open wound. What was going on? How long was he out for? He couldn't remember anything that happened, nor did he know where he was or what got him there.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him.

'_We've got them by the balls, Topaz. One more push and those Oscuras shits will be done for.'_

Topaz struggled in his binds, his already weak muscles trying their best to break free from the shackles binding him, but to no avail. He heard a barely audible chuckle before the blindfold was ripped away from his face, the sudden surge of light forcing him to shut his eyes closed. Before he could reopen them, something hard smashed against his cheek violently. He was forced to suppress a groan as he fought to not lose consciousness again, coughing a few times as he did so.

Slowly, the boy attempted opening his eyes once more, the two blue orbs gradually adjusting to the light he hadn't seen in what seemed like days. The room was barren, plain; four stained brick walls, no windows, and a singular door. He would've outright laughed at the sight of the seemingly ancient torture devices all around him, yet he couldn't muster the strength to do so. Topaz's eyes finally focused on the two men standing in front of him, both wearing armor embedded with the sigil of a white flower with black outlines on their shoulders – a mark that he was far too familiar with.

Flores Oscuras.

He grit his bloodied teeth and hissed lowly, his green hair falling over his glaring blue eyes, "Oh? He had this much energy in him?" One of the armored men questioned with an amused chuckle, leaning closer to inspect the boy through the gaps in his helmet that were made for his eyes.

"Guess Francesco-sama wasn't kidding when he said we needed him, huh?" The other answered smugly, his arms folded beneath his armor-plated chest, his eyes observing Topaz with keen interest.

The green haired boy, however, was feeling more agitated by every passing second, and spat the blood collecting in his mouth at the leaning guard, "Shove off, dogs!"

"You stupid punk!" The guard yelled after the fourteen-year-old's blood stained his helmet, and he smashed his fist against the boy's temple once more, grinning with maddening glee behind his mask at the sight of the boy's neck almost breaking.

"A fighter, this one." The other man commented, and his partner nodded in amusement.

"You think we should play with him a little?"

Topaz growled, "Touch me and you'll find your head up your ass, you flowery f-!" Before he realized, however, a fist smashed against his nose, most likely breaking it judging by the stinging pain and the waterfall of blood. He was grabbed by his collar, and pulled closer to the guard. He tried his best to keep himself from falling unconscious once more, a task proving to be becoming more difficult by the second as the dizziness was overtaking him; the guy's disgusting breath wasn't helping either.

"Who let you speak, boy?" The armored individual with the bloody helmet spoke in a whisper, his voice sickeningly quiet, a myriad of ill intentions behind it, "The only thing I want to hear is your desperate moan!" Topaz's face was smashed against the concrete ground, his vision darkening momentarily. He felt an armored gauntlet grabbing his bound hands and lifting them up. He screamed in agonizing pain as his whole body was lifted, his shoulders almost breaking from his arms being bent in the wrong direction.

His bindings were connected to a chain hanging off of the ceiling, his body suspended in the air as he kept his bones from breaking with the sheer strength his muscles still had to offer. Growling as sweat trailed down his face, Topaz glared at the two guards weakly, "T-This is nothing…" He muttered quietly, trying his best to summon what was left of his magic and get the hell out of there; it would be easy enough – transform, break free, smash these two pieces of shit into scrap, and leave by carving a makeshift exit through the walls. However, something was keeping him from summoning any magic to use. Suddenly, his eyes widened as something struck him, '_…the shackles?!_'

The two men shared a laugh between one another after the boy's words. Suddenly, before either of them could speak, the singular door in the room opened, and a man wearing the same armor as them walked in, his pace slow yet sure. In his hands the man held two daggers, fresh blood dripping down both of the blades, and the sight wasn't missed by the pair, "Who're y-" Before the man with the stained helmet had time to finish his sentence, one of the daggers was pushed through his facemask, went through his eye and skewered his brain. His body twitched helplessly for a few seconds, and later fell to the ground with a loud clang of his armor smashing against the floor.

"Son of a-!" The other guard barely had enough time to unsheathe his sword and raise it in front of his face, blocking a similar blow from the man's other dagger. What he didn't expect, however, was his opponent's speed – mainly due to the armor restricting him – as he, in less than a second, managed to crouch down and kick at his legs. The blow was powerful enough to knock him off balance and create an opening which the mysterious new arrival exploited thoroughly.

A kick to his midsection sent the guard flying through the room and into a wall, cracking the surface behind him. His helmet was grabbed by the other's gauntlet before he had time to collect himself, and the back of his head was pushed into the same wall, "Who the h-hell are you…?"

The newly arrived knight did not grace the torturer with a verbal answer, but rather a taste of his own medicine. Something akin to the crackling of electricity sounded within the room before that particular element escaped through the cracks of the man's armor into the outside in the form of azure lightning. It ran down his arm, and came crashing against the torturer's body. The man howled in agony as it seemed to him like his body was being fried, his skin being flayed away by the armor that acted as a conductor for the deadly voltage and an elaborate death trap that soon sapped his life away.

Topaz's body fell to the ground when the man threw his dagger and cut away at the rusty chains. With a thud and a quiet whine, the boy struggled to roll on his back, and leaned up to a sitting position, his eyes watching the man wearily, "Who-" A loud groan of irritation clear as the dead men at their feet interrupted him.

"I search for you for a week, an entire fucking week, and _this_ is what I find? You being bound by some weak-ass idiots and about to be raped in Zeus knows how many ways?" Topaz blinked as the mysterious individual began ranting, and, as he raised his hands to remove his helmet, the green haired boy groaned in realization, "Holy crap this shitty armor is stuffy."

"Nova." Topaz voiced tiredly as the man finally took off his helmet, revealing a messy mop of white hair and bright lavender eyes, a purple tattoo of three triangles below his left eye.

"Indeed, _boy_." Nova imitated the guard's 'seductive' voice while extending his hand to his green haired companion, "Come on, let's get the heck out of here."

Groaning, Topaz was about to complain about his bindings when he noticed that they were cut apart into tiny pieces, leaving his hands free. Glancing back at the white haired teen curiously, the boy shrugged and took the offered hand, standing up as he did so, careful not to stumble.

"Geez, they sure did a number on you."

Topaz nodded at the statement, before he remembered something. Flabbergasted, he glanced at Nova in shock, "Did you say an entire week?"

The teen facepalmed, "Seven hells, you're slow."

The younger kid grabbed the white haired one's shoulders with both hands, "A whole week?! Do you realize how much shit they could've done to me?!" Topaz yelled in horror, his mind mulling over the dreadful possibilities whilst Nova just stared at him blankly.

"Okay, doofus, answer me this: does your ass hurt?" He questioned, and the green haired kid blinked in confusion as a response.

"N-no? I, uhh… I don't think so…" He paused, and later looked at his armored friend with determination, "No."

Completely ignoring how randomly determined Topaz seemed when he asked a question so stupidly irrelevant, Nova continued, "Then your assginity is intact, my friend. That or they used lube." He shrugged, "Whichever the case, let's go already, the guys are waiting outside." He shook loose of his friend's grip, and let his magic course through his body once more. Giving it some more kick, he released a small shockwave that shattered the rest of the armor on his body, leaving him with his usual clothing – a white tee, a black high-collar jacket, black jeans and white sneakers, "Much better."

"USED LUBE?!" Topaz yelled desperately, clutching at his hair before looking over his shoulder, trying to get a view of his backside, multiple thoughts per second running through his mind. Suddenly, he stopped, and slowly glanced back at Nova, "Wait… outside?"

"Yeah, they-" The white haired teen was interrupted when a sudden explosion rocked the structure they resided in, and a cacophony of screams reverberated in the immediate area. The event forced a tired sigh to escape from the teen's throat, "And I told them to wait…"

"We've wasted enough time! Let's go!" Topaz declared and rushed past his white haired companion, running through the doorway and into a series of hallways, heading where his senses told him his friends were as if he wasn't mortally wounded.

"You asshole, that's my line!" Nova growled and went into a stride to follow Topaz. The guy just disappeared over a week ago without saying anything, and then the people living in the area had told them that he was abducted by strange armored knights. Surely the Pergrandean Military wanted nothing to do with their little group, so the only other remaining faction of interest was Flores Oscuras.

Flores Oscuras, the guys that were no different from the priests at your local church.

Poor Topaz.

Oscuras was a private military organization that lent their might to the highest bidder, yet Nova knew they had a secret agenda of their own. Most groups like them did. It was too obvious not to notice, and they needed to be brought down. They would've been their biggest haul yet, but things were at a standstill now with Topaz being captured. How they knew where the kid would be was a mystery to Nova, but he had a small hunch; a hunch he didn't want to entertain for the life of him.

"Where the hell were you?" A voice brought Nova out of his musings as he finally found himself in the courtyard of the small castle stationed in the outskirts of Pergrande's capital, "Topaz, you little runt! Where've you been?!"

"Please don't ask, Arc." Topaz waved his friend off with a desperate whimper, his shoulders slumped as he went to stand next to the man. Arcturus was a tall guy, the eldest of their entire group. He was of short blue hair and deep azure eyes, "Where are the others?"

"Inside, I think…" An explosion from within the castle shook the area, "Yep, still inside."

"Goddamnit, I knew we should've left Esta back at HQ." Nova grumbled while rubbing his face, watching as the keep was engulfed in a mass of explosions, "Reinhart is gonna bitch at me again."

"Probably." The eighteen-year-old affirmed with a nod before shrugging, "But what's worse? Having to hear that old coot's moaning or Esta's… _colorful_ vocabulary?"

"Touché."

"Guys!" A feminine voice took the attention of the three people away from the castle that was being destroyed, and made them turn to the side where a lonesome shadow was creeping up towards them, not a single object in sight that would cast it. Moments later, a figure emerged from said shadow; the figure of a girl, around fifteen years old and quite well endowed for her age, with long raven hair and bright brown eyes that oftentimes seemed crimson. A troubled expression had taken over her features as she stepped towards the little group, her eyes seeming worried "We've got Pergrandean guards coming in from the South, and Oscuras reinforcements- oh, hey Topaz." The girl's expression suddenly changed from a perturbed one to a sincerely cheerful smile as she looked at the green haired boy and greeted him. Right after that, however, it changed back to her previous face, "-from the West. They've got a whole army."

"…Yeah, I think I'd rather listen to that vocab right about now." Nova mumbled under his breath in irritation, mulling over his thoughts as he did so. Suddenly, his lavender eyes met the girl's auburn orbs, "Hey, Fanta – where's Tyna and Strom? Still in the dungeons?" She nodded in response, and the white haired man ruffled his own hair, trying to form an escape plan.

"…how many of us are here?" Topaz asked as he and Arcturus remained on the sidelines, watching as Esta's explosions continued to devour the castle bit by bit.

"Everyone minus one, sadly." The blue haired teen replied, "This past week's been hell. As soon we heard rumors about you being taken by Oscuras, and when you didn't come back the first night, Nova went ballistic. We were scouring the whole damn capital without sleep, and as soon as one of the supposed knights talked, whitey over there decided on the raid slash rescue mission."

"Huh…" Topaz smiled slightly; leave it up to Nova to take care of his own. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. Once before, Fantasma herself was captured by Transcendo – a lowly group of mercenaries working for Oscuras; or trying to – they'd been fooled into believing they could get in bed with the knights if they managed to take their group down. By means he couldn't understand even after Nova explained them to him thoroughly, Transcendo managed to kidnap the shadowy girl and asked for a ransom. An obvious ambush was waiting for them, or so Nova and Arcturus thought.

So what did they do? They marched right in, with Nova spearheading the charge. The mercs seemed like nothing more than lightning rods when the guy went in there. They saved Fanta in the same day that she was captured, which was downright pathetic even for people idiotic enough to want to join Oscuras.

The green haired boy chuckled at the memory before an explosion that went off a bit too close for comfort brought him out of his thoughts, "…seeing the way flat board over there is going at it, I think that was a mistake."

"Don't let her hear you say that." The two guys shared a short laugh before being called over by Nova.

"Arc, get this little shit back home." The white haired man ordered rather matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument with the glare of his lavender eyes. Arcturus nodded in response, whilst Topaz had other plans.

"I can still fight!" The boy yelled in outrage, and Nova just stared at him with a blank expression.

"The hell you can! Look at yourself." The teen argued with narrow eyes while pointing at Topaz. The boy had to admit, he had seen better days; his clothes were torn, barely holding, his skin burned, battered and bruised, and some of his ribs were obviously broken, aside from his nose which still stung like hell, "Go inspect your ass too while you're at it. It's Oscuras - they probably spread you sideways with a damn two-by-four for all I know. Last thing I need right now is for you to not be able to hold your shit together. Literally."

"You heard the man." Arc said through a chuckle as the boy was about to protest, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "Come on." Before Topaz could speak a word, the bluenette grabbed his shoulder, and they disappeared into nothingness, teleporting out of the immediate area.

Nova's eyes drifted to the black haired girl that remained with him, "Go to the lower levels, see if those two haven't gotten all hot and bothered in those dungeons. I really hope they won't get any BDSMy ideas - just the thought is excruciatingly nasty with the shit those Oscuras fools have."

"…and you are making _me_ go there why exactly?" Fanta inquired with honest curiosity, her hand landing on her hip as her crimson orbs gazed at Nova.

"Because I can." Nova smirked at the girl's annoyed expression, repressing a chuckle that was just begging to escape, "And hey, I'll have Esta's ass to bring back. You choose whose shit you want to deal with." Fanta suddenly paled at his words and, with a slow nod, disappeared back into her shadows, leaving Nova alone, "Thought so." He added with a ragged huff.

The fifteen year old teen looked at the massive structure that was now lit ablaze, and gulped down worriedly; the one thing he hated doing the most was dealing with Esta when she was on one of her rampages. Collecting the needed backbone, he pushed through the rubble and the flames, and finally found himself in the scorching main hall of the castle, explosion after explosion causing tremors to shake the structure's foundations.

"Esta? Esta!" Nova shouted while covering his mouth from all the smoke with his hand, his eyes looking for the girl frantically, "For the love of… where the shit are you?!"

A girly yell made his ears twitch before yet another explosion shook the area, "Eat this! And that! Fuck you too!" A violent eruption of magical power followed every shout, and Nova could have sworn the Gods themselves were laughing at his misery this very second.

Kicking through a wooden door, Nova finally caught a glimpse of a short, petite girl that seemed like she was twelve, yet Nova knew she was sixteen. The girl had orange-crimson hair that was tied into two ponytails, and bright orange eyes, "Esta! Can it with the damn explosions and let's haul ass!"

"Shut your fuckin' mouth-hole, whitey! They took Topy-chan! I'm going to make them choke on their fucking slithery intestines!" The girl growled without looking at Nova, and snapped her fingers. The action released a number of sparks, and three explosions simultaneously went off to their right, completely obliterating an innocent wall.

"Your Topy-chan is safe and sound. Since when do you care about him so much anyway? You know what? You probably don't. Nevermind. Whatever. Get your behind moving already, reinforcements are on the way!" Nova refused to relent, raising his voice so the girl could hear him over the chorus of demolition work.

"The more the better!" Esta yelled back, snapping her fingers multiple times, which resulted in even more destruction. Yep, Reinhart is going to have Nova's head at this rate.

Feeling his temper reaching its boiling point, Nova glared at her, "I swear to fuck, you damn flat board, if you don't come with me I'll-" An explosion went off right behind him, prompting his eyes to widen.

Shit.

"What did you call me just now?"

Doubly shit.

"Now, now, Esta, calm down…" Nova's voice shook slightly as he gave a weak chuckle, raising his hands in front of himself defensively as he slowly backed away.

"Did you call me _flat_, Nova?" Turning to him, her eyes were glaring daggers at him, yet she had a smile on her face, her voice sweeter than he had ever heard before, "Tell me, Nova. Did you, by any chance, call me… _flat_?"

"I… no?"

She snapped her fingers.

Triply shit.

* * *

_A couple of hours later…_

"We're home!" Topaz was bandaging the wounds on his side when he heard Esta's voice. The door to their little 'hideout' was opened, and Nova fell through the doorway, faceplanting the wooden floorboards. His hair had adapted a shade of black due to the smoke and dust - no doubt from Esta's wrath – while the girl completely walked over him, scoffing indignantly as she did so. She glanced at the green haired kid, and shrugged before going towards the fridge.

"Y-yeah… Topy-chan m-my ass…" Nova coughed out dust as he struggled to push himself up, glaring at the orange-crimson haired girl weakly. The girl opened the refrigerator and stared at its contents, her eyes narrowing at the lack of food present. Figuring there wasn't anything else she could take, she took a can of beer before closing the fridge. She was about to open it, when a hand came from above and snatched it away.

"Hey, what the fuck!?" She objected, her eyes meeting Arc's deep blue orbs.

"Minors shouldn't drink, Esta." Ignoring whatever curses the girl was throwing at him, the bluenette made his way towards his white haired companion, and crouched down in front of his form, extending the drink to him, "Here."

"T-Thanks…"

"Oi! That douche is younger than me!" Esta protested while threatening to snap her fingers.

Arcturus simply sighed and raised a single hand. Moments later, a transparent blue sphere engulfed the petite girl's hand, rendering it completely immobile, "Yeah, but he actually needs it. Now calm down before I put all of you in there."

Puffing out her cheeks, the explosion mage mumbled a few curse words under her breath before shaking her head in defeat and going to sit on the couch. Nova sat up, and sighed tiredly as he opened the can and took one large swig, exhaling deeply in delight immediately after "That sure hit the spot." He wiped a stray drop flowing down his lip, "Where's Fanta?"

"Right here." A voice called before the girl slowly emerged from Nova's shadow, dragging along a girl and a boy, both no older than seventeen, with her through her shadowy realm. With relative ease, the girl hurled the two over her shoulder, and threw them to the ground.

'_What the heck is wrong with these people...?_' Nova thought in strange amazement, better described as a sickening feeling of awe when witnessing something inexplicably moronic yet still amusing. He's been with the group for over two years now, having met Fanta first out of them all with Topaz being the most recent addition. Yet, even though he regarded all of them as family and knew them up and down, they still surprised him to this day.

One of the two people, a boy with grey hair, Strom, groaned as he rubbed his cheek, "You didn't have to hit me, you know…"

"How could I have not?!" The other, a girl of dark violet hair, Tyna, answered with a question in outrage, a tick mark forming on her forehead, "You groped me while we were… we were… _inside_ Fanta!"

"Technically, you were inside Nova at that particular moment." The raven haired shadow mage interjected.

"Great, now I have groping somehow happening inside of me. What else is new?" Nova added dejectedly, rubbing his temples in exasperation as Strom and Tyna continued with their usual lovers' quarrel over nothing. Pit two seventeen-year-old sex-crazed teenagers together and you get an overblown M-rated soap opera with scenes ranging from exhibitionism to BDSM and everything in between. Literally.

"Reinhart called." Topaz informed, and Nova cried out desperately, "Said you'll have to do go to court and explain what the hell happened."

"My day just keeps getting better and better. That old bat Marie is gonna have a field day." He took another swig of his beer, his eyes looking around the area; their little hideout could barely be considered as such, if he were to be painfully honest. They weren't the type of group that took money for what they did, but neither were they the Robin Hoods of Earthland. They didn't give to the people – let them work and make their own damn money. They did, however, do most of the dirty work so said people could actually find jobs. Weeding out corrupted trash wasn't easy work, and it wasn't something that gave them a decent paycheck either.

However, somehow, they managed. Having gotten a fair amount of money from a few of the missions they did outside the capital, they were able to purchase a series of apartments in a singular floor of an apartment complex. With Esta's… explosive nature, they broke through the walls separating the apartments, trying their best to not make the entire ceiling crumble down on top of them at the same time, and had made a headquarters with a total of eight rooms for themselves. Enough to sleep together, eat together, and just generally live together with enough space to not get sick of one another. Teenagers needed their space, after all.

Having sunken in his own mind, Nova thought back on memories of how they 'reconstructed' the apartment, and he realized that something was amiss. Clicking his tongue, his previous fears were starting to resurface. He glanced at Arcturus, "Oi, Arc… where's that heterochro-whatever dumbass?"

The bluenette frowned, already catching Nova's train of thought. He shook his head, "No idea… haven't seen Oli since this morning."

The white haired teen sighed, "Great. Shit just keeps piling up." Slowly, he forced himself back on his feet, "Okay, now we need to – I swear to God if you two start shagging here I'll shove a lightning bolt up both your asses." He growled when he noticed that Strom and Tyna had passed the arguing phase and were going to the more intimate parts. Teenage hormones were a disastrously immediate thing indeed.

"Oh, speaking about sticking things into asses – my anus was not, in fact, violated!" Topaz exclaimed cheerfully, to which Nova, Arcturus and Fanta facepalmed, while Esta, Tyna and Strom just stared in relative bewilderment.

"Don't. Just… don't." The former three said in unison.

* * *

_Back at the ruins of Flores Oscuras Castle…_

Plumes of black smoke dangled in the air, mixing with the clouds above the burning remnants of the once Southern base of operations that Oscuras had. Soldiers were running left and right, trying to salvage what they could whilst keeping away from the fires that were spreading rapidly, while others tried to put out the seemingly inextinguishable inferno.

Two figures stood on the tiled roof of the singular tower that was still intact, watching the sight below with minimum interest, "You got it all?" A cloaked man asked as he crouched down to the other's height. His visage was impossible to make out through the cloak, not even his facial features were distinguishable. The only thing that almost painfully shined through the hood of his cloak were his mismatched eyes. Brown and Blue.

The other, a little girl, no more than ten years of age by the looks of it, nodded slowly. She had long snow white hair that touched the ground, and rather menacing yet emotionless golden eyes which remained unmoving, locked on the flames rampaging below them, scanning the magical properties of the flames and the remains of what magic she could find.

"When's Francesco making his move?" The man questioned once again, glancing over his shoulder to the little girl, waiting for an answer intently.

"The Ninth."

The man nodded at the simple answer, preferring not to ask the girl any more questions. She seemed like a little girl, but he knew it was a ruse. She was much, _much_ older than her face and body let on. Everything about her seemed to chill him to the bone, and her voice alone sent a shiver down his spine.

Shaking his head to get his mind out of the gutter, the cloaked individual stood up and dusted himself off, "I shall be going back then… to continue my surveillance. Inform me of any changes." As soon as the girl nodded, the man gave a short bow, and disappeared from sight.

The girl remained standing, watching the burning wreck of a castle with an impassive face. Suddenly, however, a small ominous smile crept up on her lips.

"Yes… the Ninth." She murmured to herself darkly before vanishing out of existence, her sinister chuckle remaining in the area for a few more moments before it too faded into the void.


	2. Synchronization

_**A/N: **Second chapter so soon? *gasps* Yes indeed. I want to get to the really juicy parts as soon as I can. All the more fun, y'know?_

_Also, I shall not put any disclaimers on anything I write. The name of this webpage should be enough of a damn disclaimer. What's the point of putting those things here when they stick out like a sore thumb already? I never got that._

_Oh, I've been told Game of Thrones is influencing me too much. Make of that what you will._

* * *

_**A Change of Scene: The Division**_

* * *

"Nova Belcross." The person in question sighed tiredly as he stood atop a pedestal in front of an elevated platform where five seats were set in a singular row, each one being occupied by an individual of high status. He found his hands to be bound by shackles – a procedure that was far too outdated for his liking, but he had to deal with it. The fact that the binds were seeping his magic, however, he didn't like. It was effective, he couldn't argue, but sure as hell unnecessary in this particular situation, "You are hereby charged with taking the offensive against Flores Oscuras and their Southern Stronghold, which resulted in the destruction of property belonging to both Flores Oscuras and the people of Castelana. How do you plead?"

"Uhhh… I didn't do it." The white haired teen answered disinterestedly, picking his nose with his pinky to emphasize his mood.

"Nova!" A bald old man shouted as he quickly stood up from his seat, glaring at the teenager angrily.

"What? I really didn't! It's Esta's fault, not mine." Nova shrugged. Why the hell was he being blamed for Esta's madness? Okay, he knew why, but still. It was unfair! Alright, everything was unfair, and he knew that better than anyone. Yet, in his mind he figured that there was no better place to act like a spoiled teenager than in court. That one particular time when they took down Transcendo was especially amusing. He could've sworn his antics shaved at least five years off of the geezers' lifespans.

Good times.

"Reinhart-sama, calm down." A young man of bright blond hair and blue eyes said with a slight chuckle, finding this whole ordeal as amusing as ever. Nova was one of his favorite cases to… 'oversee' simply due to the fact that he admired his goal and the tenacity to reach it, "There's no need to fret."

The old man grunted in annoyance, finding Nova's behavior to be something akin to blasphemy in the courtroom. He couldn't believe how the kid acted every single time his group stepped out of line. Giving the boy a disappointed shake of his head, Reinhart sat back in his seat, whilst Nova simply shrugged once more at the reaction.

"No, but seriously – I didn't friggin' do it." He turned to the audience of people behind him, many of whom were glaring at him, and his eyes focused on Esta's form as she tried to hide behind Arcturus, "Damn it, Esta, I told you this would happen!" Nova was completely ignoring the other people present. Most of them were part of the corrupted scum that he and his friends were weeding out anyway; the highborn – the shining part of society that embodied everything Pergrande stood for. Or that's what they wanted you to believe.

Nova's group was the bane of the highborn. Most of the nobles– especially the three royal families – gained most of their capital from unjust sources, some of which entailed slave trading and smuggling. Hell, even those who were 'legit' thrived via brothels, serving people with whores whose medical examinations weren't exactly given the green light. To put it plainly, only a whore house in the capital's center could be classified as 'healthy,' whilst others were literal STD hives.

'_And Topaz wanted to… ugh._' Nova thought in slight disgust, "You should be standing here, not me."

"But they took To-"

"To hell with your Topy-chan! You didn't even want to save him in the first place! All you wanted was to rip Oscuras a new one!"

"Hey! Whose side are you on anyway?!"

"Certainly not yours…" Arc commented through a sweatdrop, trying to step away from the girl who was sneering at the white haired teen, her hands twitching at the need to blow the poor pedestal he stood on sky-high.

Reinhart sighed in irritation while he rubbed his face, shaking his head in the process, "What am I to do with you damn brats?" Slowly, Belcross turned to Reinhart, a small smile forming on his lips. This guy, Reinhart Graham, was the sole reason why Nova's group wasn't exiled out of Pergrande years ago. Or worse.

Nova was just a boy when he came to Pergrande, having left his foster parent after his training was finished. The only problem was that, instead of being transported to his homeland, Fiore, he ended up here, in the deserts of Pergrande. Sure, he was trained in survival, but there's not much he could do in the middle of the damn desert in the scorching heat. The boy survived for over a week, scrounging what water he could from either the ever rare wildlife or dead bodies which weren't yet ransacked. However, eventually, he collapsed. Lucky for him, he was found by a caravan that was heading home after having taken care of certain foreign business. Reinhart, who at that time had only recently became one of the Lords on the Pergrandean Government of Five, was heading back to Castelana, and took the boy in.

In the month that they spent on the sandy roads, Nova and Reinhart had become quite close, and the white haired boy found out how the cogs keeping Castelana running worked, as well as the old man's goal – to cleanse corruption and create a utopia. Initially, Nova just laughed at the old man, saying he had gone senile in his old age. Yet, in time, Reinhart had a strange effect on the boy, and he eventually took on the man's goal for himself, yet, with a catch – he would try to achieve it using different means, most of which not many approved of.

'_But it gets the job done. Someone has to do it._' Nova thought assuredly. That was the bond that brought his group together. Everyone was wronged by the highborn in one way or another. Slavery, murder, rape, bankruptcy – you name it. No one in his group had a place to return to, and that's exactly what Nova gave them. A home. He helped them get back on their feet, and thus he inadvertently helped shape the 'damn brats' into companions that refused to leave his side and swore to change the country.

Many asked Nova why he would go to such lengths for a country that wasn't his homeland. You could see by his features that Nova was from a foreign nation. The hair, the eyes, the facial features and prominent cheekbones, the accent, and even the way his brain worked – it was all a dead giveaway. And whenever he was faced with the question, the teen never gave a straight answer. 'Who knows?' was his most usual reply, but he knew exactly why he was there.

'_Because this book isn't going to write itself, damn it._' What, did you really expect something different? '_Something similar to 'that's what my father taught me,' no doubt._' Probably.

"What do you think, Marie?" Nova blinked, smiling weakly in forced amusement, '_Seriously, Reinhart? You're asking _her_? Do you _want_ to see me behind bars?_' He thought worriedly; if that old hag got her way, Nova and everyone else from his clique would be beheaded at that very moment. Not only did she seemingly hate Nova's guts for no reason at all and wanted his entire existence wiped off of the face of the planet, she was from one of the three royals, A.K.A. one of the people he was gradually lynching.

The old woman – however much younger than Reinhart, '_Everyone is younger than Reinhart!_' Nova thought – had pitch black hair tied in a bun, wrinkles framing her judgmental onyx orbs. Nova chuckled uneasily as he could feel her scrutinizing him, and he gulped down when she came up with her verdict, "Why did you attack them?"

The white haired man froze, '_What?_'

He stood stupefied on the pedestal, as if someone had pressed the pause button to his brain and muscles. Marie crossed her arms below her chest, tapping her finger on her arm as she waited for an answer, "Out with it, brat. _I_ don't have all day to be staring at _your_ ugly mug."

'_Okay, that was a little bit more like her, but still… what?_' The white haired man shook his head, and glanced back at his two companions who seemed just as confused as he was. Turning back towards her, he leveled her with as determined a gaze as he could – something that was proving to be slightly more difficult than he anticipated under these circumstances, "They had abducted one of our own."

All of the Five before him continued to stare at him. Nova's lavender eyes met the blue orbs of Thassarian – a man with whom he could relate to a degree solely because Thassarian thought their goals were similar. Goals? Perhaps. Reasons? Hah. The blond man smiled at Nova, and simply nodded towards him, which gave the teen a slight feeling of relief; whatever Marie's decision would be, and if it would even come to pass, he knew he could trust in the blond to help him out. He had done so in the past, after all. Hell, he had both Thas and Reinhart on his side. Two of the Five were supporting him, which ultimately meant he had two out of five votes in his favor.

"On what grounds?" Marie voiced her question with a stern voice, and Belcross met her eyes once more, his brows furrowing at the memory of the state Topaz was in when he found him.

"Unclear." He smirked, "We haven't done _anything_ that would harm Flores Oscuras in any way, shape or form, Madam. They hit us _first_, and we retaliated."

He noticed how the old woman's eyes narrowed when Nova gave emphasis on his words. Marie, although she was keeping it away from the public's knowledge, was one of Oscuras' main supporters. She was the one currently ordering them around, and a number of her operations were carried out in the protecting arms of those knights. But that begged the question – why would she even ask why Nova's group attacked? Shouldn't she just try to get rid of them, like she had attempted so many a time in the past?

"Yet your _group_ is unregistered in our charts. You are nothing more than outlaws. Should we not treat this as an attempt to weaken the organization for vile reasons?"

Nova's eyes narrowed, "That may be true, however – we are as much citizens of Castelana as you are. We were wronged – one of ours was taken - and we acted on it. What's vile about that? Oscuras had absolutely no right to-"

The black haired woman laughed mockingly, "An outsider claiming to be a citizen of Castelana? I believe I have never-"

"Now, now, Madam." Thassarian interjected, glancing at the woman from the corner of his eye, his usual smirk having left his features, "Mr. Belcross' nationality is not what we came here to discuss. Let's not resort to petty insults. Surely it is beneath you."

Her eyes glared at the blond man, remaining locked on him to emphasize her scorn. Finally, after a few brief moments, she scoffed indignantly and closed her eyes, "Very well. Then what do you propose we do with this… _Mr._ Belcross?"

"Set him free." The suggestion was met with clearly audible outrage from the highborn audience, with boos of resentment echoing along the walls of the large courtroom they resided in.

'_Geez, I knew they hated us, but this is just… fuckin' assholes._' Nova thought with a rather accomplished smirk. To hell with them all, he didn't care for any of them. Fact of the matter was that if he managed to piss them off this much, he was doing something right. He chuckled to himself while Reinhart tried to silence the crowd, all the while casting concerned glances his way, '_Stop worrying so much, old man._' He smiled.

"They may not be a registered organization, but they are a group of people nonetheless. Flores Oscuras were the ones who did the wrong and should be standing in trial. I have heard of no warrant or reason to take one of Nova's friends into their custody. Even more so torture him." Thassarian added, his smile once again returning.

"Torture is a disgusting course of action to take, especially against a boy his age." Reinhart added sadly.

Marie took a long pause, obviously to consider her other options. Nova was certain she would try to debunk him, even though she seemed to show concern before – concern that he didn't believe for a second. He wasn't _that_ naïve; no one could change in the short time span since he last saw her, which was less than two weeks ago. Yeah, he visited the courtroom rather frequently, mostly because of what his teammates did. Somewhere deep inside, he felt as though another man, somewhere far, far away, knew what he was going through, even if he was an entire century older than him.

"Very well." Nova's eyes widened in shock, "All in favor." Three hands were raised – hers included – whilst two remained lowered. The white haired man couldn't believe what had just happened. Flabbergasted, he stared at the woman with a dumbfounded expression, to which Thassarian couldn't help but laugh at, "However, there is still the matter of paying for the damages…"

* * *

_An hour later…_

"Ow!" Esta whined as she walked out of the courtroom, rubbing the top of her head while suppressing a tear that was threatening to escape her eye, "Come on, I said I'm sorry- OW!"

"Sorry my ass!" Nova growled as he bonked the top of her head once more, "This is, what, the twentieth, no, at least the thirtieth time I'm here because of _your_ bullshit in particular. You're like a goddamn kleptomaniac, only you destroy things instead of hoarding them! Couple that with nihilism and narcissism, and we have the definition of you!"

"There's probably a doctrine that explains Esta's existence somewhere in the world." Arcturus added with a slightly amused chuckle, and Nova nodded tiredly.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised. Probably the same dudes who invented the FSM, only I bet they were on crack or something." He bonked her again, and hissed when he felt her biting him, "…you didn't. You didn't just bite me. Do you realize how big of an arsenal of innuendos I could use against you but can't since you're flat as a board and totally not worth the time?" He noticed in barely visible amusement how angered she became, and moved his hand away quickly so she didn't get another chance to sink her teeth in.

"Low blow, Nova." The bluenette added with a weak chuckle. The three of them just stood there as people walked out of the courtroom, purposely oblivious to the glares and silent death wishes they were receiving. However, when a certain black haired woman passed by, the trio directed their gazes towards her. She met their stares, and shook her head in dismissal before continuing on her stride, two armored guards walking behind her on each side, "She didn't question our motives out of the goodness of her heart, did she?."

"What do you think?" Nova answered Arcturus with a sigh, his glance redirecting to the two forms of Reinhart and Thassarian who were approaching them.

"How many times have I told you to keep it down, Nova?" The older official scolded with a somewhat fatherly tone, harsh and concerned at the same time.

Nova offered him an apologetic smile, and once again bonked Esta, "Sorry. I promise I'll try to keep _her_ in line. With a stick if I have to."

"Sorry…" The girl added with the voice of a scolded child, and Reinhart sighed before nodding, "I have preparations to make, I shall be taking my leave."

"Preparations? Where are you going?" Nova questioned curiously, his eyes meeting the old man's.

"Bosco. The peace talks have been going rather smoothly, if I do say so myself." Nova smiled at the old man; he had been a searcher for peace for as long as he knew him. Even when they first met the guy was heading back from Bellum with a peace treaty in his hands.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." The man smiled, "In which case, stay out of trouble while I'm gone. It shouldn't take more than three weeks."

The white haired teen nodded and waved to Reinhart's departing form. He wanted to turn and address Thassarian, but the man had already leveled Nova with a concerned gaze, "Be careful, Nova. I've been hearing whispers."

Nova straightened his posture, his ears perking up at the words, "What do you mean?"

"The white in their flower is just a ruse, Nova. They are moving in ways I cannot understand, but I am sure they are targeting you."

The white haired teen's brows furrowed, "Then why would that old bat let us go like that though? Wouldn't it be simpler for her to just put me behind bars? Surely she could have done so with the way the votes turned out."

The blond official shook his head, "Of that I am not sure yet, but I have a hunch." He paused, "However, I don't have anything solid yet, therefore I'll keep it to myself." Nova nodded at his reasoning; he didn't need to worry about things that might not even present itself as a threat to him. He had other problems to attend to, and he was sure Thassarian could come up with something and would inform him as soon as he did.

Thassarian smiled, "It was nice talking to you again. I await the next time we meet." He declared as he took a bow.

"Yeah, hopefully next time won't be with me on the steps and you on the judges' team, eh?" Nova sweatdropped whilst the blond only laughed as he went his own way. When he left, Belcross momentarily went deep into his own thoughts. Without him even noticing, the three had begun their stride back home, and, out of a strange sense of foreboding, Nova turned to Arcturus, "What day is tomorrow?"

"Ninth. Why?"

Nova shrugged, "Just curious." He lied. The teen didn't know why, but he had a gut wrenching feeling haunting him, as if something bad was going to happen. With the things he has been hearing and seeing, how could he not be worried? Yet there were too many pieces of the puzzle that were still hidden from him, and he couldn't even see the entire picture clearly yet. With a silent groan, he shook his head furiously.

First things first – he had to take care of the issues that were closer to the home front.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"I still think we should've gone with them instead of… shopping."

"Who'd tell Esta that there's no food again then? You?" Fantasma asked with a chuckle and a shake of her head as she and Topaz stepped through the doorway to their home.

"Okay, you got a point, but still…" The boy dragged four bags with him, while the raven haired girl had two. He set the bags on the kitchen table, and glanced at her, "Look… all I'm saying is that we shouldn't leave Nova alone like that."

"He can handle himself, Topaz." She smiled at him, "Besides, you'd probably only cause more trouble for him." Fanta added, chuckling when the boy mumbled something under his breath. However, both of their attentions were redirected to a certain teenager who exited one of the rooms leading to the kitchen, his mismatched eyes meeting theirs. The three stared at one another in slight surprise for a few moments, before one of them spoke.

"Hey there." The newly arrived – or rather, returned – teen smiled. He looked around seventeen, close to eighteen, and had short and spiky brown hair with the front part being longer in contrast to the rest, covering a part of his blue and brown eyes. He was wearing a black T-shirt, which showed his bare arms and how many tattoos he had, which were a lot.

"Oliver." Fanta said with a slight frown as her eyes stared at him, "You do know Nova was looking for you, right?" Her eyes drifted over his shoulder towards the living room, clearly suspicious of what the guy was doing there.

"Sorry, I had… some personal stuff to take care of." He admitted while looking away, rubbing the back of his head with his palm.

The raven haired girl's eyes narrowed at him, "Topaz was kidnapped and you had 'personal stuff to take care of'?" She almost growled out, surprising the green haired kid standing next to her, "What happened _was_ personal, and you ditched us."

Topaz glanced between the two, feeling a good amount of tension between them. He chuckled uneasily, "Hey, it's okay… not like I was killed or anything."

"No, she's right." Oliver admitted with a sigh before placing a hand on Topaz's head and ruffling his hair, "Sorry I wasn't there, bud, and I'm glad to see you're okay."

"What were you…" Losing herself in her thoughts, Fantasma just pushed through Oliver and proceeded into the living room. Her eyes scanned the area, much too suspicious of anything. She interrogated her own memory to recall where everything was supposed to be; every piece of furniture, every piece of equipment, and every single item. She noticed a closet that wasn't closed fully and frowned. _No one_ touched that particular closet. It had belonged to Lana, a girl who was a part of their team and passed away a year ago due to a genetic illness. Her passing shook them bad, and ever since they refused to touch her wardrobe, remembering how much she loved her clothes. They couldn't bear the thought of messing with what was still hers.

"Fanta?" Oliver questioned as he stepped into the room. The girl was completely ignoring him, and, with a fast paced step, marched towards the closet. Acting as if without thinking, on instinct almost, she ripped the doors open, and her eyes glared at the many colorful yet dusty dresses hung inside. She shifted through a few of them, her eyes scanning every nook and cranny she could find.

Momentarily, the brown haired teen's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared daggers at the back of Fantasma's skull, but he quickly forced his irritation down and took up a smile, "…the heck are you doing? Since when are we touching Lana's stuff?" He asked with an uneasy chuckle.

"Yeah, you're being weird." Topaz added as he glanced from over the kitchen, his eyes looking confused with one of his brows quirked.

The girl shook her head to get out of her momentary daze, and turned back to Oliver and Topaz, giving the latter a smile before walking out of the living room. She went to the kitchen, and began storing the food they brought back.

"Where is Nova anyway?" The brown haired teen asked while sitting down on a stool and leaning against the kitchen table using his forearms as support.

"At court. He should be back any minute."

"Court? The hell happened while I was away?" Fantasma ignored the question, keeping her eyes on her job. Topaz, however, had a different plan, and sat down next to Oliver, offering the guy a cheerful smile.

"Esta happened. Again." He said, and Oliver nodded before chuckling, "You should've seen it. The whole place was lit ablaze, explosions everywhere. I keep wondering how Nova got her out of there but I don't think I want to know."

"No, you really don't." A chuckle prompted the two to look over their shoulders, where they saw the white haired teen standing in the doorway, offering them a smile. However, when he noticed Oliver's presence, all traces of amusement disappeared from Nova's features, his eyes narrowing, "Long time no see, Oliver." He said as he kicked his shoes off and stepped inside, his lavender orbs never drifting away from Oliver's mismatched eyes.

"I'm fucking tired." An oblivious and rather exhausted Esta charged through the entrance and later the kitchen like a blur, bolting into her own room without giving regard to any of the people present. Arcturus followed Nova, and nodded to the others as he entered, his eyes now resting on Oliver's form.

"Geez. I'm not gonna get a break, am I?" The brown haired teen groaned in exasperation, to which Nova just blinked in bewilderment. His expression became stoic, completely emotionless, and his cold eyes scrutinized the tattooed teen to the point that it made him cringe.

"Where the hell were you?" His tone was cold, unforgiving. No way was Nova going to forget this. It was _their own_ that was captured, and Oliver knew that. They had been searching for Topaz for a week; an entire week before they found him. No one knew what could happen to him, or what had already happened. He could have died for all they knew, which would've meant an all-out war. How could they trust Oliver if he just disappear whenever he liked, especially during a crisis such as this one?

And he even had the gall to ask whether or not he'd get a break?

"Personal ma-" Before Oliver had the time to finish his sentence, Nova appeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye, sparks of blue electricity crackling down his arm. He grabbed Oli's collar, and flung him into a wall, pushing his form into the surface with great strength.

"Un-fucking-personal them then, because I'd like to know what the hell exactly is more personal than one of our own being captured by the enemy." Nova growled while pushing Oliver into the wall. The teen's mismatched eyes widened momentarily, feeling as through Nova was crushing his throat with his forearm, but he immediately thereafter glared back at the white haired teen, gritting his teeth in the process.

"My mother." Nova's hold faltered for a second, his eyes widening, if only slightly, "She's getting worse."

"What the shit's going on?" Esta questioned as she entered the room, "Whoa, whoa. The hell did I miss?" Everyone present – Topaz, Arcturus, and Fantasma – were all staring at Nova and Oliver, who were engaged in a deadlock next to the damn kitchen wall. She could feel Nova's magical power flaring and faltering, whilst Oliver remained composed, deciding not to retaliate.

"Nova, calm down!" Topaz yelled as he grabbed their leader's arm and tried to pull him away from the tattooed teen. He was forced to use his magic to enhance his strength to do so, and, albeit carefully, pulled the white haired teen's form away from Oliver.

"Thanks, Topaz." Oli said with a smile before coughing a few times, trying to regain his composure. He redirected his gaze to Nova, who had somewhat of a sympathetic expression on his face, yet it was obvious he was still resenting Oliver, "Her disease is getting worse, Nova. I was in the hospital this entire time."

Etherionite poisoning. Nova remembered when Oliver had told them about his mother, and how he was with them because he wanted to get back at the people who caused it. Years ago, before any of them were even born, the Pergrandean government had made a deal behind closed doors. The weapon that the Magic Council utilized, Etherion – they wanted to know its secrets. Scientists and otherwise adept mages all over the kingdom were requisitioned to experiment with the weapon in the hopes of discovering its secrets.

However, little did they know that Etherion in and out of itself was extremely volatile, and they didn't count on the many disastrous catastrophes that followed their experiments. Oliver's mother was one of those adept mages that was asked to investigate the weapon, and she inadvertently became poisoned by the element when a procedure went haywire.

She could barely even have Oliver, who was still in her womb back then. Because of some strange inexplicable reason that doctors to this day can't figure out, his mother's health refused to decline whilst she was with Oliver. However, as soon as he was born, the first signs showed themselves, which diagnosed her with Etherionite Poisoning level three. She had immediately lost any chance of having any more kids, and her immune system dropped drastically, with time disappearing altogether. Gradually, she became extremely feverish, and lost her sight, her hearing soon following. Her sense of touch had disappeared as well, and any movement in her limbs faded within the first few years.

Nova had visited the hospital together with Oliver once – his mother was like a living corpse.

"How bad is it?" The white haired teen questioned after a moment of uneasy silence, his eyes never leaving the other teen's orbs.

The seventeen-year-old sighed tiredly, and looked at the floor, "Not good." He said, taking a brief pause to collect his thoughts, "The docs said she needs surgery to be able to survive. The kicker is that the surgery costs – a lot." He looked up at Nova, "She has about two weeks left."

Nova sunk into his thoughts, clicking his tongue silently. He looked up once more at Oliver before sighing, "Alright, whatever." He said before walking away towards his own room. Suddenly, he stopped, and glanced at the raven haired girl, "Fanta, a word." Nodding, she followed him, leaving the rest behind.

"What is it?" Fantasma questioned as she closed the door after entering Nova's room, watching as the teen walked over to his desk and placed the belongings he held in his pockets on top of the desk – his wallet, a book, and a singular pen. He looked over his shoulder, meeting the girl's brown orbs.

"Do you buy what he said?" Nova's voice was hushed, his tone serious and cold. It had been a while since Fantasma saw the guy this agitated, and it showed on her face. However, she figured he had a reason to be like this; Nova never bothered to fret over matters unless they seemed like an actual threat to him or his friends.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, looking around the room as she did so. Finally, she sighed, and their eyes met once again, "I'm not sure. It just seems too… convenient."

Belcross nodded, his mind lost in thought, "Topaz being captured was most likely a warning." They heard a familiar voice sound from within the room, and Nova smiled slightly when Arc's form slowly materialized out of nowhere.

"Eavesdropping ain't nice, y'know? What if we were doing something kinky?" He gave Fanta a short wink, to which the girl blinked before shaking her head in dismissal, prompting Nova to chuckle at her reaction.

"Then I would have most likely committed seppuku with a meat cleaver." Arcturus nodded to his own words, whilst Nova and Fantasma only sweatdropped at his antics, "Whichever the case, I don't think these incidents are merely coincidences. Remember Thassarian's warning?"

"Someone is targeting me, eh?" The raven haired girl glanced at the two in confusion, "Thas has been, and I quote, hearing whispers about Oscuras moving against us. Like Arc said, I have a feeling taking Topaz was just a warning. No, I'm _sure_ it was that, especially after Marie's little stunt back at court."

"You really think she's involved?"

Nova nodded, "Positive. There's no way in Seven Hells that she'd be in favor of letting us go."

"Wait, Marie wasn't _against_ you?" Fantasma stared at the two, dumbfounded, disbelieving of what she had just heard. Nova's usual companion whenever he went to court was Arcturus, in most cases because the guy would speak up for Nova like a lawyer. However, she had the displeasure of attending a series of trials herself due to a few of her own blunders, and from the very first one she saw that the old bat was out for their blood.

"See what I mean?" Nova commented with a slight chuckle at Fanta's reaction. He went silent for a few mere moments, scratching his chin while mulling over his thoughts, "I don't like that Reinhart is leaving either."

"They might target him." Arcturus and Fanta said in unison as realization dawned on them.

"Exactly. That's how I'd go about it." He paused, "Pluck off the feathers on your enemy's wings one by one – they can't run. Back them into a corner – they don't have room to maneuver and counter-attack. Take their head and burn the rest - nothing haunts you later. It's as simple as that." Nova looked up at Arcturus, "Where are Strom and Tyna?"

"…do you really want to know?"

The white haired teen sighed and shook his head, folding his arms beneath his chest, "No, probably not. Whichever the case, tell them they have a job to do – tail the old man's caravan until he leaves the capital. I don't want to hear any complaints." After the bluenette nodded, Belcross turned to Fantasma, "Fanta, I need you to look into Oli's mother, see if he ain't bullshitting." He noticed how both Arc and Fanta gave him a sideways glance, and he sighed tiredly, "I don't want to doubt him, I really don't, but I'm not naïve, and I won't risk the lives of my friends because of one idiot in particular. I need to know if he's with us, or if we lost him."

"Keep this a secret from everyone else for now. I don't want them thinking we're going to war – not yet." His two friends nodded, and Nova smiled at them, "Hopefully this will turn out as one huge fuckin' goose chase and we'll be home free." He tried to sound optimistic, yet he figured he failed miserably when he heard the amused chuckles leaving the duo before they left; Arcturus using Teleportation Magic, and Fanta sinking into her shadows, "Tomorrow's going to be one busy day."

The teen, having been left alone in his quarters, stood in place for a few moments, collecting his own thoughts, taking a break from the whole hustle and bustle of his daily endeavors. Finally, he sighed, and shrugged off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor. He proceeded to his desk, and plopped down on the armchair, lifting his legs up on the wooden piece of furniture. He took the white book he had placed there earlier, and grabbed his pen.

'_Finally I can get some peace and quiet._'


	3. Distortion

_**A/N: **I need a beer after this. Or twenty._

* * *

_**A Change of Scene: The Division**_

* * *

"_What do you see?"_

_"Clouds."_

_"Look deeper."_

_"What do you see?"_

_"Heartache. Despair. Pain. Anguish."_

_"Those are but words. Look further."_

_"Open your eyes, child."_

"Open your eyes."

His lavender eyes slowly opened, faced with crimson. His room was shadowed in darkness, begun to be illuminated by the morning sun. Gradually, his face contorted into a frown as he stared back at the all too familiar face lying in bed next to him, and his next words escaped him unwillingly, "What are you doing here, Esta?"

"You were dreaming." The orange-crimson haired girl answered, continuing to stare at Nova's features while lying just a short distance away from him, "What was it?"

The same eyes that had just been opened closed again as the white haired teen sunk into the memory of the dream, and a barely visible smile morphed his features, "My sister." Nova admitted as he leaned up at his own pace, rubbing his face with both hands. His eyes gazed at the window as he climbed off of the bed, "You didn't answer my question." He stated as he yawned and stretched, wearing nothing but sweatpants to cover the lower part of his body.

"A messenger came." Nova glanced over his shoulder at the petite girl who was watching him bemusedly, holding a sealed letter in her hand, "He said it was for your eyes only."

The teen nodded as he took the letter, "Thanks." He said, and unsealed the envelope, later taking out a piece of paper from within. He turned the paper so what sunlight shone through his window could illuminate its content, "Huh…" He muttered quietly, bringing his hand to scratch the back of his head.

"What's it say?"

"Thassarian came around. Looks like he's been trying to dig something up all night. Wants to see me immediately." Nova stated in a serious tone, his eyes narrowing at the information given to him. With a slight sigh, he let lightning course down his shoulder to his palm, setting fire to the letter and the envelope. It burned into nothingness in his hand, the flames illuminating the dark room and shining in his lavender eyes.

Just like he thought; today was going to be a long day.

"You _still_ didn't answer my question though." He glanced back at Esta who was now sitting on his bed, "The hell are you doing in my room, at night, staring at me sleeping? Can you get any weirder?"

The girl shrugged, "I was awake when the messenger came. He gave me the letter and told me to pass it on to you. You were talking some strange bullshit in your sleep, and I got curious."

Nova's eyes widened slightly, "What was I saying?"

"_Humanity is a treacherous race. I'm surprised the Gods haven't wiped them off of the face of the planet yet, _is what you said, among other things." Esta answered simply while waving her hand in dismissal, clearly trying not to show any concern.

The white haired man frowned, remembering the memory all too well. He was a much different person back then. Had he gotten his way, he would have been trained by much too evil an individual. Yet, because of his foster sister, he was able to see true wisdom, and the hope of change. Hell, it was because of her that he even kept his sanity under the brutal training his father put him through in the first place.

And, above all else, it was because of her that he was alive.

Nova chuckled uneasily, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Guess I've just been reading too many epic fantasy novels." He lied, shrugging the matter off before moving to his wardrobe, "What's Fanta up to?" He questioned, purposely leaving out the fact that he knew she was gone. He didn't want her to know he gave the raven haired girl any orders.

"You really do like her, don't you?" The sixteen year old chuckled whilst Nova glared at her from the corner of his eye, "She's been gone since yesterday night. Didn't say anything before leaving, only that it was urgent."

"Has been?"

"Yeah, hasn't come back yet."

Concern flashed through Nova's eyes; she should've finished her investigation and been back by now, especially considering the fact that it was the middle of the night when she was looking into Oliver's mother. The night was Fantasma's playground – there was almost nothing she couldn't do in the light of the moon. Did something happen? Was she in danger? A large multitude of scenarios played in Nova's mind which got him more concerned by the second, and the fact that something beyond their knowledge was being schemed by the city's scum wasn't helping him any. Yet, he had to trust her; Thassarian knew something that would shed some light on their predicament, and he required a clearer view of the whole picture to be able to act.

Fanta could handle herself. She always has, after all.

"Okay." He paused, and glanced back at the orange-red haired girl, "You mind? I'd like to take a shower and get dressed."

"I'm outta here." The white haired teen nodded as the girl quickly left his quarters. Standing up straight, he looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting his well-toned, lean body with keen eyes. His fingers traced the scars on his chest and stomach, his scowl deepening as he remembered how he got each one, both during and before his training with his father.

He shook his head to get out of his daze, and slipped off the clothes he had been wearing. A slight shiver ran down his spine when the cold morning wind blew through the open window, and the teen ran a hand along his hair before moving towards the shower. He closed the door behind him, and stepped into the cabin. The icy-cold water started pouring down on him as soon as he turned the tap, and he grit his teeth as his body started shivering, the droplets of water that were crashing down on his skin feeling much like small daggers that were continuously piercing every fiber of his body. Every single one of his muscles tensed before calming down as he exhaled a hoarse breath. He always started his mornings like this – with a cold shower. It was a better exercise than any other he had known, especially if you wanted to clear your mind – something he had been wanting to do even before going to sleep.

* * *

Numerous hours had already passed, and it was already noon by the time Nova stood outside of Thassarian's office, staring at the two guards who were standing in front of him, their swords drawn and crossed in front of the door. The teen sighed tiredly, and glanced at the two with clear irritation, "He sent for me, damn it."

"Show us proof, trash." One of the armored men said mockingly, and Nova sweatdropped as he remembered burning Thassarian's letter. He could have left the envelope intact, at least. Though he doubted that would've been enough for these two blockheads.

This was typical; whoever was not of the highborn was treated as trash. The people living in the slums had gotten a reputation of thievery and violence because they had no other means of survival. Down there, there was no law, everyone took what they could and it was survival of the fittest. Granted, it has become better ever since Nova's group started moving, but it still wasn't enough.

And it was because of Nova's group that they were treated worse than anyone in Castelana. Sure, they were turning the city around, but that meant a loss of business for the highborn. Those damned cowards liked their workforce to be cheap; or rather – free. Slaves were great labor, after all. Feed them once a day and give them more work than they can handle. Not only would that help meet their needs, it would mean a steady, if not increasing death rate among the lowborn, which would mean they would need fewer rations.

Greedy pigs couldn't even begin to describe what the highborn of Pergrande were.

"Oh for fuck's sake… Oi, Thas! Call off your dogs already before I fry them where they stand." Nova spoke matter-of-factly, clear irritation showing in his expression as he glared at the two white-armored guards. He wasn't in the mood for any bullshit, clearly. He folded his hands in his pants' pockets, allowing a spark or two of his magic to escape him in order to emphasize his point.

"You insolent little…"

"That's quite enough. Stand down." The guards quickly sheathed their blades as the official's voice rung out from within his chambers. The door slowly opened to reveal an unusually messy mop of blond hair, which was much too uncommon for Thassarian, '_He must've been working all night._' Nova reasoned while nodding to himself, "Come in, my friend." The white haired man smiled at Thassarian as he stepped towards his office, flashing the middle finger to both guards who he could tell were snarling at him from behind their facemasks. Assholes.

As soon as he entered, he closed the door behind him, and leveled his eyes towards Thassarian, "Please, take a seat." The man offered as he sat behind his desk and gestured with his hand towards an armchair in front of him. Without a word, Nova did as he was asked, and folded his arms below his chest while crossing his legs.

"What have you got for me?"

"Straight to business, as usual." Thassarian smiled weakly at the white haired teen before leaning back in his chair and sighing tiredly. He gave Nova a serious gaze, a gesture that made the teen tense slightly, "What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential, understand?" The white haired teen gave a short and concise nod as an answer. The blond then proceeded to rummage through one of his drawers before grabbing a set of papers and sliding them across the desk, "Read through these quickly and tell me what you make of it."

Nova quirked an eyebrow before taking the documents in his hands and reading their contents with keen interest. Faced with a graph of numbers, his eyes narrowed as he read each line, "Oscuras are reinforcing their numbers…?" His eyes widened in realization as he kept on reading and reading, refusing to say anything. He remained like that for a couple of moments, shifting through the papers, oblivious to Thassarian's growing smile. Suddenly, he lowered the papers, his lavender eyes staring at the blond's blue orbs in shock, "You can't possibly…"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Bright brown eyes stared through the glass of the ward, the sun making the orbs shine an ominous crimson as her darkened form remained impassive, invisible to the many people wearing white coats who were running around, taking care of what soldiers they could. It was always like this in the wards; the highborn hospital was tasked of taking care of soldiers making their rounds in the slums, and they weren't particularly welcome there. Sure, they had weapons and armor, but the peasants had numbers – lots of them.

Her mind drifted back to the woman she was keeping watch over, pondering over the night's findings. A deep scowl morphed her features as she reminisced over what statistics she had gathered, making sure that, indeed, what Oliver said was true. It saddened Fanta, yet, somewhere in her heart, she still couldn't absolve the brown haired teen for leaving them on ice like that. You didn't do something like that to someone who regarded you as family, especially not when they needed you the most.

She shook her head quickly to get out of her daze, the shadows enveloping her body seemingly seeping out in every direction as the scarlet in her eyes illuminated the otherwise dark hallway. With a single step forward, she moved towards the door to enter the ward and take a closer look at her target, yet something made her cringe. She felt a hand on hers, her shadows leaving her body almost immediately, and, suddenly, everything went dark.

"Sorry, Fanta, but visiting hours are over."

* * *

_Somewhere else…_

This didn't seem right.

He sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time this morning. It was too early. Way too early for his liking. Standing atop the edge of a building, the grey haired teen gazed down at the bustling streets below, yet his mind was somewhere else entirely. Why did Arcturus send them here? Why did Nova give the order anyway? Was Reinhart in danger? If so, why didn't Arcturus warn them about it?

Sure, Strom may have been the kid way too interested in sex to notice anything else, but he was no idiot. Even he could tell by Arc's tone that the guy was worried. This just didn't make any sense to him.

'_Could you possibly stop being so annoyingly thoughtful?_'

The guy gave a short laugh as he heard Tyna's voice in his mind through her telepathy. His eyes gazed down at the streets where he saw the purple haired girl glaring at him, and he only smiled in return as her form seemingly changed via her shapeshifting magic. She mingled into the massive crowd surrounding Reinhart's carriage, and Strom watched with a bird's eye view, hoping nothing suspicious came into view.

'_It's just… it seems too strange. Like he's expecting something will happen._'

'_I doubt it._'

The grey haired teen scowled, '_Then why didn't he tell us anything?_'

He could hear Tyna groan through their mental link, '_Look, when has Nova ever not told us anything? I bet he just felt sentimental and wanted us to guard the guy just in case. You know how overprotective he can get._'

'_I really hope you're right._'

"Or is she?"

Strom's eyes widened as he heard an unfamiliar voice, and his head quickly jerked behind his shoulder to try and discern who it belonged to. He could barely find enough time to raise his hands defensively as all he could see was violet.

"Pathetic fools."

* * *

_At HQ…_

Arcturus paced in the living room, his mind afloat with different scenarios, none of which told him anything good. Nova wasn't here, Tyna and Strom were guarding an Official from who knows what, and Fantasma was nowhere to be found. This was making him nervous, and he was finding it increasingly annoying. He rubbed the back of his head and groaned in exasperation.

"Can you _not_ seem like a jealous pubescent crybaby for at least five minutes?" The girl commented in irritation as she leaned back in the sofa, crossing her hands behind the back of her head and trying to relax.

The blue haired teen, however, only rolled his eyes as a response, "I just can't shake this bad feeling. If anything happens…" He exhaled a shaky breath, his eyes narrowing slightly, "We're too… separated."

"Stop worrying about it, blueberry." The orange-crimson haired girl said while standing up, "If anything, those fucks can take care of themselves. You should know that better than anyone."

"Still…"

"Mornin'…" Topaz muttered through a yawn as he entered the living room from his own quarters, stretching as he did so. He ran a hand along his short green hair as his still-sleepy eyes looked over his friends in confusion, wondering why they seemed so serious, "Uhh… what'd I miss?"

Esta rolled her eyes before looking at the clock hung on the wall on the opposite side from her, "Jesus, it's past noon already. How in the seven hells do you sleep that long?"

The boy chuckled sheepishly, "No one woke me up, so…" Rather unsurprisingly, Topaz's wounds had already healed themselves. Neither his ribs nor nose were hurting anymore, nor were they showing any signs of deformations or scars. The boy always did have a strange healing factor, and Nova oftentimes reasoned that it was because of his magic altering his entire body structure. It was a strange concept, really. Similar to Take-Over, in a way, yet not quite.

Arcturus' eyes drifted away to glance outside the window as he leaned against a wall with his arms folded below his chest. He knew that what Esta said was true; there have been many an occasion where the guys from their group were forced to fend for themselves, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Yet he still couldn't shake this feeling in his gut. It felt like all hell was about to break loose, and they were in front of its gates.

And it didn't help that Oliver was acting strange.

"Guys." Suddenly, Arcturus heard a rather familiar voice which prompted him to look over his shoulder in surprise. He saw Fantasma's form standing in the middle of the living room, as clear as day. However, his eyes narrowed when he saw her form distorting slightly, '_Thought projection? Since when…?_'

"Hey, Fanta!" Topaz greeted with a cheery smile, completely oblivious to the fact that none of them seemed to remember Fantasma even knowing Thought Projection, "Where have you been?" The blue haired teen's eyes narrowed as he watched Fanta's form, waiting on the deciding factor of his suspicions.

The raven haired girl gave the usual sincere smile that she mostly only showed to Topaz, and that got Arcturus' mind running, making him even more confused than before. This didn't make any damn sense. Fanta didn't _know_ that spell, so the bluenette immediately thought someone was posing as her using similar magic to Tyna's. But being able to imitate her mannerisms like that? Topaz was the _only one_ who she showed that smile to solely because the girl thought of him as a younger brother. Even Nova had never received such a smile. Arcturus was further confused when she chuckled as she spoke to Topaz, and later gave them a dead-serious expression when meeting eyes with both Esta and himself.

"I think I found something on Oli." Arc's eyes widened at the declaration, whilst Esta only quirked an eyebrow and glanced at the blue haired man in confusion.

"What's that douche got to do with anything?"

"I'll explain later. What have you got?"

Fantasma shook her head, "I can't talk here – maintaining the comm spell is too dangerous. You guys need to head over to Relgen." The raven haired girl looked around, seemingly worried for her own well-being, "Crap, they're coming. Get over here and I'll meet you." And, as suddenly as she appeared, the magic was canceled out and her silhouette vanished.

"Relgen? What the hell did you have her look into to get her there, of all places?" Esta's eyes once again met Arc's and the man sighed tiredly, really wishing that Nova was here right now.

It took a good ten minutes for the man to explain everything to Topaz and Esta, trying his best to tone down the complexity of his words so that Topaz could comprehend everything clearly. He didn't think the kid was dense or anything, he just didn't want him asking any questions. He explained how, in the week that it took them to find Topaz when he was captured, Oliver wasn't showing himself or helping in any type of way, and when it came down to attacking Oscuras the guy became completely scarce. Nova had lost his trust in him, and thus didn't believe his explanation at all. That was why he sent Fantasma to investigate his mother – just in case he was using the story as a cover up.

"…but I have no idea how said investigation led her to Relgen. You'd think she'd be in a hospital, not the damn central barracks of the military." His eyes drifted to the ground, and he nodded to himself, "I don't like it, but we have to go. Topaz, stay here until No-" He was interrupted when Esta grabbed his hand and shook her head in dismissal.

"You stay here." She said in a tone that left no room for argument, her eyes steeled on the blue haired man's eyes, surprising him slightly, "You noticed the same thing, didn't you? Fanta doesn't know Thought Projection, and her faces were a bit too perfect. I don't want to be the paranoid one here, but I think we'll be heading into a fuckin' trap."

"All the more reason-"

"-for me and Topaz to go there. He can't be killed, and I can't not kill." She smiled at him before chuckling, "Besides, do you really think this dunce-" She bonked Topaz on the head and the boy winced in pain, "-could explain everything coherently to whitey? Last time he tried we almost ended up destroying the markets."

"Topaz and I."

"Whatever." The orange-crimson haired girl rolled her eyes at the correction and motioned for the green haired kid to follow her, "Wait for whitey. We'll see what the fuck's up and bring Fanta back."

"Hey, what about-"

"Come on, squirt. We're going." Esta wouldn't hear any arguments from the boy, and drug him out of the apartment. She cast one more glance towards Arcturus as they stood on the doorway, and nodded before closing the door behind them.

The blue haired teen groaned quietly as he fell back on the living room's couch, rubbing his forehead in exasperation as he thought on what was going on. He shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend how Nova could keep his cool in situations like these.

* * *

_Thassarian's office…_

"You're kidding me?" Nova voiced out in astonishment as his eyes bounced between the document in his hands and Thassarian. The blond shook his head, and the white haired teen's brows furrowed, "How in the seven hells could they forge numbers as large as these? You'd think someone would notice fifty thousand mystery soldiers added to the goddamned military roster."

"They wouldn't if the one in charge was the one editing the charts." The white haired teen's gaze met Thassarian's as the man said in a cold tone, and a chill ran down Nova's spine when he noticed the hidden anger behind the blond's eyes. Nova knew Thas hated being played a fool, but this…

It was simple enough to notice, yet the problem was that no one bothered outside the military brass. This not having seen the light meant that the entire brass was in on the ruse. However, the question wasn't how they forged the numbers, but rather another, a much more compelling one, "Why?" Nova's eyes narrowed as he stared at the charts once more, disbelief evident in his gaze at the sight of the sheer number of names on the list, "Why for the love of fuck would Oscuras send so many of their men here? I mean, surely they wouldn't need this many to secure their influence here, right?"

The blond shook his head, "I think it's much deeper than that."

Nova sighed, "Isn't it always?" The white haired teen stood up from his seat and marched towards the window, pushing his hands into his pockets as he stared down at the bustling streets below.

"The numbers aren't what worries me though." Nova couldn't help but laugh at the words. As if their situation couldn't be any worse; Oscuras was getting into the military, Marie was saving their asses, Oliver was being a cunt… and now there's something else? "I think this has something to do with the king." …oh. "Wait, this isn't-"

"What?" Nova's body slowly turned, eyes widening when he witnessed crimson. A fountain of blood, a crescent dagger, long white hair, yellow eyes, and a sinister smile on the face of a little girl. The white haired teen froze on the spot, as if death itself had stuck an invisible blade through his chest that was gradually crucifying him. He felt a mixture of pain, terror, dread and excitement run through him. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he witnessed the blood spewing from Thassarian's body before his head was detached from his neck. The little girl grinned manically as she raised the man's head by pulling at his hair, her extremely sharp canines almost radiating in contrast to the blood on her lips.

Nova grit his teeth, urging every single muscle in his person to move, yet none responded. His eyes stared dead in the face of the little girl holding Thassarian's head, his rage building further and further. Lightning trickled down his arms and along his entire body, '_MOVE!_' He shouted at himself and, as if the Heavens themselves heard his plea, the chains that were shackling him inside were shattered completely, and Nova's magical power erupted.

He launched himself forward with a battle cry, his fist filled with his magic as he swung down. The impact caused a massive explosion to engulf the area, completely obliterating a side of Thassarian's office. Nova inhaled and exhaled sharply, a bead of sweat running down his temple as his eyes searched the rubble frantically, trying to identify the remains of the girl he was sure he had just blasted away.

Yet, when the dust cleared, he saw nothing. Nothing but the blood of the body he had just punched a hole through. His eyes widened in shock and horror, panic almost overtaking him.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Marie suddenly stormed into the room, and she momentarily froze at the sight before regaining her bearings, "You… guards! Apprehend this traitorous murderer!"

Thinking fast as the hordes of guards rushed into the room, the white haired man jumped backwards and his back crashed through a window. He felt the wind blowing against him, and he dared to open his eyes as he fell. He looked at his hands, and he paled of the sight of blood, _Thassarian's_ blood. He discerned Marie's form peeking out the window he just burst through, a triumphant grin on her face.

His mind went blank.

He crashed.

Nova's body made a crater upon touching the ground, erecting smoke and dust from the cracks in the concrete, creating a makeshift cover that surrounded the area. His form was lying there, in the ground, immobile, while his eyes just stared at Thassarian's window.

How could he be so blind?!

As realization dawned in his mind, so did the lightning his father taught him engulf his body. His expression slowly changed into a maddening snarl as he heard numerous footsteps coming towards him, the plated armor that the individuals wore were clanking together and seemingly sounding all throughout Castelana's streets. Nova's rage eventually reached its boiling point, and erupted in the form of a massive blue explosion that shattered every single window in the area. The Flores Oscuras guards that had been gathering on the white haired teen's position were all blown away, scattered like leaves to the wind as a singular blue pillar of lightning made for the sky at incredible speeds.

The lightning bolt soared along the rooftops of Castelana, its caster situated in the center of the magical spell. Nova's mind searched for his friends frantically, his senses set on overdrive to locate them. As he got farther and farther away from the castle, he finally picked up Tyna and Strom's magical signatures, yet he also sensed two more, and they scared the living crap out of him. His expression changed into one of dread as he saw a massive explosion of violet make its way from the ground towards the sky, and the white haired teen stopped in his tracks as he realized the familiar signatures were dwindling.

His snow white hair shadowed his lavender eyes as he made his next decision. Changing his trajectory, he bolted towards the singular place he knew was still intact.

Home.

"I'm sorry Tyna, Strom… and Reinhart. Please be safe."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Arcturus stared out the window in shock as the volatile pillar of violet rose to the sky. A sense of worry washed over him as he could sense Tyna and Strom's magical power fading, and he didn't even want to begin thinking about what was happening there. Every single muscle in his body urged him to move, to go there as fast as he could and try to help his friends. But something kept him there. Something kept him frozen in place, unable to move, and leaving him with the only option remaining – spectate. He hated that. He _detested_ having to stay on the sidelines while his friends fought. But he knew that, if Nova wasn't there already, he would be heading here after witnessing that outburst of magic.

Arc knew how Nova's brain worked, and his leader's calculative nature sometimes scared even him. After sensing the magic signatures of the enemies their comrades were fighting, Nova would leave them to fend for themselves and try to get to those who he could actually save. Faced with a power like that, only luck would help them, and, even though extremely begrudgingly, Arcturus accepted that. He knew that Tyna and Strom had also accepted it.

Yet Arc still couldn't help but be mad at Nova. For all his intelligence, he couldn't see through that which mattered. He knew he shouldn't be angry with Nova because this wasn't his fault, but still... the clues were there – how did no one notice?

"Arc?! Esta?! Anyone?!" The bluenette heard a voice and a crash of their front door. He turned his head to meet the panting form of Nova who was standing in the doorway, his clothes reddened from someone's blood, "Oh thank the Gods. Where the fuck are the others?"

"They went to Relgen. What happened to you?" Arcturus questioned in shock while pointing to Nova's hands that were oozing blood.

The white haired man was going to ask about Relgen, but the words died in his throat upon Arc's question, and he grit his teeth as he averted his eyes from his friend, "Someone attacked…" He paused, and inhaled deeply, "Thassarian's dead."

"W-what?" Arcturus questioned with a stutter, pure unadulterated shock in his eyes as he stared at Nova who dared not look him in the eyes. He watched as the white haired man started pacing in the room, walking back and forth in the living room while ruffling his own hair, "What the hell did he tell you?"

Nova stopped mid-way, glancing at Arc then later looking at the floor, a sigh escaping him, "He couldn't finish his sentence, but…" He paused, then gave a shaky breath, "I can't believe I couldn't see it earlier. After everything he told me, and later Marie's face…" The teen could tell Arcturus was shocked to hear the aforementioned individual's name, yet he pressed on, "We should've listened to Lana. This is the reason she was killed."

"Killed? But it was…"

"An accident?" Nova laughed almost indignantly, "I had my suspicions, but I kept it to myself because I couldn't find anything. She did. She found something. And I know exactly what." He paused once again, taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts before once again meeting eyes with his friend, "Did she tell you anything? You two were close. More than that. She must have said something."

Arcturus watched Nova in bewilderment for a few moments before what the white haired teen said finally registered. His eyes lit up, and he marched towards the closet where they kept all her things, "Yeah, she did say something. Or rather, she left a note." He motioned for Nova to follow him into the room, "I could never understand it for the life of me, but…" He looked over his shoulder, looking at Nova from the corner of his eye with a tinge of jealousy that the teen hadn't seen from his friend in a long, long while, "Maybe you'll be able to decipher it."

As soon as he was in front of Lana's cabinet, he opened it, and rummaged through the many dresses before settling on one Nova recognized all too well – Lana's favorite dress. During her life she had worn it only on two occasions – when she joined them, and during her deceased mother's birthday. Nova could remember it to this day – her beauty, her radiance… it was like she was an Angel; an anomaly that didn't belong to this world. Much to both his and Arc's dread, she didn't, and the other world had taken her back before her time.

Arcturus passed the crumpled piece of paper to Nova, clear signs of someone having tried to straighten it out visible on its edges, "It's all a bunch of gibberish that I can't begin to understand, but maybe you'll make sense of it."

Nova took the piece of paper, and read through the contents intently. His eyes widened when he recognized the ancient language; a language only he could possibly understand.

_Ankáthia tous échoun skápsei vathýtera apó ó, ti tha boroúsame na doúme._

Nova grit his teeth, a vein popping on his forehead as he glared at Arcturus, "And you never thought to tell me about this? What, you thought this was her love letter to you, huh?"

The blue haired man's eyes widened in shock at Nova's tone when the guy snapped, before he glared back at the teen with full force, "You have the gall to tell _me_ that? Wasn't it _your_ fault she died in the first place, _outsider_?"

Before the bluenette could realize what happened, Nova had grabbed his collar and pushed him back into the closet with such force that it punched through the thin wooden surface and even left a crack in the wall behind them, "Say that again, you _highborn_ piece of shit." The white haired teen growled menacingly, his lavender eyes flashing an ominous yellow as his lightning flared around him.

Arcturus's glare intensified as he grabbed Nova's arm and completely nullified his magic using his own, creating a small layer of his famed cancellation magic around him and his supposed friend. However, before any of them noticed what had happened, they were both suddenly frozen in place. The closet that they had punched through and were now inside of started sporting various glowing crimson markings from the inside that both of them recognized all too well. Both of their eyes widened as something massively powerful flashed, and created an explosion with a shockwave large enough to send a tremor so catastrophic it made the building's foundations shake.

Nova howled in agony as he could feel the searing pain envelop his body. His form was sent flying through a number of walls after the explosion hit them, and he found himself outside, falling down with massive chunks of wall following him. His vision was hazy at best, and he still couldn't move his muscles all that well due to the restraining magic that had frozen him in place, but his eyes could discern a small form below.

He coughed while falling, and tried his best to collect his magical power. Everything seemed to be in vain as his fall continued, and his body remained immobile. Finally, he was forced to depend on something he hadn't used in years. His teeth grinded against one another before a feral roar escaped his throat, massive amounts of lightning crackling around his body as glowing tattoo-like markings spread across his whole body. He felt mobility returning to him, his power forcing him to break through his limits, and he dashed to the ground. His feet impacting the pavement created a large crater below, but he managed to grab the body of the little girl he had spotted while falling.

Nova looked up, and his eyes widened when he realized he hadn't made it in time. The debris fell on top of them with a loud crash like water falling down a waterfall, piling up on top of them with a weight most couldn't even comprehend. When everything calmed down and the dust settled, many people gathered around the massive rock to inspect the damage and maybe find some form of life below, but were all prompted to scatter when a roar echoed from below. Blue lightning escaped the gaps and cracks before it disintegrated the large chunks of wall and sent the remaining pieces flying in every direction.

The white haired teen stood on shaky feet, his hands balled into fists as he panted madly. The markings covering his pale skin had slowly receded back into his body, and he fell to his knees when he felt his wounds taking over him. He hissed and winced when he felt the pain in his left arm. Ripping off what was left of his jacket's sleeve, he clicked his tongue when he noticed that his skin had been almost completely burned off to the bone. Touching the appendage with his right arm, he let lightning collect around it and formed a sort of armor using his magic that would allow him better control.

He heard a whimper to his side and turned to see the girl he had just saved. She was slightly younger than him, maybe twelve, he reasoned, and had long and bright pink hair, fair skin, and blue eyes that almost identically mirrored his own lightning. He smiled at her weakly and, using his healthy arm, ruffled her hair, "You okay?" Hesitantly, the girl nodded as an answer, and Nova's smile grew, "Where are your parents?" This time she shook her head, and Nova felt a pang in his chest, a frown appearing on his features before he once again forced a smile, "What's your name then?"

"A-Arianna…"

Nova chuckled quietly to himself, "Alright, Aria… can I call you Aria? There are people over there. Go over to them, they'll take care of you." When Arianna nodded, Nova ruffled her hair once more before attempting to stand up. The blast from before had shaken his whole body, and he figured it broke at least three ribs for his bones to be protesting so much. His vision was blurry, but he pushed on, trying to collect his senses. His eyes widened when he felt Arcturus' magical signature back at their apartment, and he instantly engaged his lightning to fly up the floors and land on the cracked floor.

The wind blew against his hair as he stared wide-eyed at the wreckage that was once their home. His frown deepening, he continued to march down the corridors until he found the center of the blast, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers when he saw Arcturus' body, his hair incinerated, his clothes completely burned off, his skin almost fully peeled away by the same searing flames that had gotten the teen's arm. Arc's body was suspended in the air by the remnants of the magic that was set as a trap for them, and Nova swore to whatever deity that was watching over him that he had never seen anything more gruesome.

His skin was being burnt by a flame that couldn't be put out even now.

"Arc!" Nova ran across the destroyed room, tinges of his magic escaping him to break through the invisible shackles that were holding the man in the air. His body jerked helplessly before falling forward and being caught by the white haired teen who fell to his knees and laid his friend's body on the ground, "Oi, Arc!"

The man coughed up blood, his burned out eyes seemingly searching for a sight he would never be able to see ever again, "N-nova…? W-What… happened…?" His voice was weak, deranged, and with every word he spoke it felt like he was straining his destroyed vocal chords. Nova had to resist the urge to cry out as he witnessed how bad the burns on Arcturus' body were; he could see the scars on his inner organs, and even the white of his skull had turned to black.

The white haired teen gulped down the saliva that had been collecting in his throat, and he tried his best to feign a smile even though he knew his friend couldn't see it anymore, "It's okay, Arc… It's… going to be okay, yeah. Don't speak."

"I… I'm sorry." The deranged man spoke, and Nova felt his heart sink every time Arcturus tried to move, "I k-know it's not your f-fault that s-she… that she…" He tried raising his arm, and Nova took it in his own as he closed shut his eyes, trying to fight back the tears. Arcturus smiled as he managed to feel the droplets of water crashing down on his chest through all the pain, "We both… loved her… d-didn't we?"

"Please, Arc, don't-" Nova stopped mid-sentence when he realized the movement in Arc's hand had ceased. His eyes shot open, and he stared at the permanent smile on Arc's face. Nova bit his lip to the point that it bled, a few low sobs escaping him, "Aye… we did, my friend."

"But she chose you." Nova's hair shadowed his eyes as he placed both of Arcturus' palms on his chest, and placed his own hand on the man's heart, "May the Gods be merciful and grant you salvation. Rest now, Arcturus Skyborne."

Slowly, the man stood up, his lightning flaring all around him as his now-dark-yellow eyes glared at the direction of his next target.

Relgen.

* * *

_Hours later…_

The moonlight shone on Relgen keep, the last of the setting sun's rays having left the area completely. The soldiers were bustling outside, trying to get to their new posts after the massive influx of personnel that command had requisitioned for reasons beyond the soldiers' knowledge. However, whatever they were expecting – it wasn't this. Multiple explosions from within shook the castle to the core, and many of the armored individuals had to struggle to stand.

"Above!" One of them shouted, but it was too late as a massive blue lightning bolt smashed against the ground, creating another explosion that joined the cacophony of blasts from inside the castle. A glaring white haired teenager emerged from the blast, walking towards the main entrance of the keep unhindered. Many guards tried to stop him in his tracks, all of which were blown away by gusts of lightning that seemingly had a mind of their own and were escaping the man much like the anger that was almost radiating from him.

A few minutes and a singular punch later, the iron gates of the keep were blown away with ease, crashing into the many guards that were manning the defenses, "Somebody stop hi-" The guard's voice died as a stray bolt of azure electricity was drawn towards his armor, and snuffed the life out of him completely – much like any other soldier in the vicinity.

Nova was now in full stride as he darted along the corridors with a steeled and deadly glare, making short work of any Oscuras soldiers that were getting in his way. His main focus was to get towards the explosions that he had sensed miles away, and he was getting ever closer to the source. He entered the main hall of the keep, and had to bob and weave to dodge multiple explosions that were aiming straight at him.

"Esta! It's me!" He shouted as he rolled to a stop, pulling his arms in front of his face when he realized that he couldn't dodge the next one. However, the blast never came.

"Nova…? F-finally you decided to show your… u-ugly mug." Nova's eyes widened when he saw Esta's form lying on the ground, leaning against a cracked wall. He ran towards her, his glowing yellow eyes a clear sign of desperation as he focused on the many spears embedded in her chest.

"What the fuck happened?!" The girl coughed out blood as Nova crouched near her, inspecting her wounds, "H-hold on, I'll get these…" He tried teaching for the weapons that were piercing her skin, but his hand was stopped by hers.

"Don't, you… dumbass." She coughed out more blood, giving Nova a chuckle and a determined gaze, "I'm dead anyway. If you take these things out, I'll just bleed out faster."

"But… there's got to be something…"

"Yeah, there is." Her smile grew into a bloody grin, "I'll stay here with w-what little time I got and blast these… fuckers that k-keep coming. Topaz is inside. Go… h-help him." She groaned when Nova tried to protest, and placed her finger on his lips, allowing him to taste the crimson liquid staining her hands, "Don't argue, Nova. Just… go."

The teen averted his gaze from her, and grit his teeth in both anger and anguish. He gave a brief nod and stood up, keeping his gaze away from the orange-crimson haired girl lest his determination dwindled, and he bolted towards the throne room.

"Heh, don't say I never did anything for you, w-whitey…" The girl chuckled sweetly yet rather melancholically, memories of her spending time with her friends flashing through her mind and serving to only increase her drive for revenge. She glared holes at the first guard that appeared in her field of vision, and her grin intensified, "Die, cunt!" She shrieked as she snapped her fingers.

After what seemed like years of running, Nova finally found himself in the throne room, trying his best to control his breathing and ignore the explosions that were seemingly becoming weaker and weaker behind him.

"Finally here, eh, Belcross?" The masculine voice caught his attention and sent a shiver creeping down the teen's spine. He tried to search for its source, but found it becoming increasingly difficult with the darkness that was enveloping the room. Even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn't see a single thing. Suddenly, something smashed against his stomach, causing him to cough up saliva and lose his breath as he was sent crashing into a wall from the sheer force of the impact. A hollow laugh reverberated through the area as light suddenly covered the area, and Nova had to repress a groan as he tried to stand up. He felt a weight holding him down, and his still-adjusting eyes widened when he noticed that it was a headless body that was restricting him.

He looked forward, and pure horror morphed his features when he saw the same little girl from before holding Topaz's severed head while licking her lips, "YOU BITCH!" Nova launched himself forward in a crazed fury, yet was stopped mid-way by an invisible force. His body froze, and he felt terror overtaking him. It was the same feeling he felt in Thassarian's office, yet much, much stronger.

"Now, now, Belcross. Don't ruin the main event!" A man's voice spoke, dry laughter following his words. The man started clapping as he stepped down the stairs in front of the throne, a small smile having taken shape on his face. He was a very tall and slim yet muscular man with arched eyebrows and a close-shaved goatee. He sported shoulder-length wavy black hair that was tied in a ponytail, and sharp black eyes. He wore a fancy black suit with the sleeves rolled up, black leather shoes and a white tie and handkerchief in the breast pocket, "How do you fancy these decorations? They are sure marvelous in a disgusting way, aren't they?"

Nova's face fell and his skin paled when he saw two spikes on each side of the throne, each spike being accommodated by the heads of his fallen comrades – Strom, Tyna, Thassarian, and Reinhart. The fresh blood was still dripping down the metallic poles, and Nova could have sworn his vision was darkening.

"And it seems we have one more. Where shall I put this one?" The man snickered ominously as he took Topaz's severed head from the little girl and placed it in front of his face, "Ugly boy, this one. I have no need for ugly ones." He shrugged as he let the head fall and, before it could touch the ground, he sent his foot to smash against the green haired boy's face.

The kick sent Topaz's head flying, and it smashed against the immobile Nova's chest. The white haired teen remained unmoving, his hair covering his eyes, yet the tears streaming down his face were clear as crystal. He grit his teeth in anger and despair, his voice seeming like nothing more than a shaky whisper, a shadow of its former self, "W-what do you want…?"

"What do I want?" The man chuckled, "Shouldn't you be asking who I am first? Ah, it was rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Francesco Espinosa, and I am one of the three Tridents of Flores Oscuras. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear Nova Belcross." He smiled, "Oh? It looks like another has fallen." He voiced with a chuckle when he noticed the explosions had ceased.

"Now! It is time for the main event! My dear Oliver, would you please bring Miss Crow here?" Nova's head shot up at both names mentioned, his eyes clouded with regret, confusion, and despair. Two forms slowly materialized out of the shadows, revealing the brown haired teen holding a raven haired girl by her arms which were shackled behind her back.

"Fanta!" Nova shouted, and the girl was slowly regaining her consciousness. Confusion was evident in her eyes as she didn't know where she was, but she used the white haired teen's voice as a guiding light, and slowly, albeit surely, stood up.

"Nova?" Her eyes were strained due to the light, but she followed his voice, and ran forward. Suddenly, Nova found himself to be able to move again, and he bolted forward, relief washing over him the second he felt the girl in his arms, tears escaping him like the mid-summer rain, "It's okay. I'm here, Nova."

"I-I don't-"

"Would you please do the honors, my friend?"

Nova froze in his place as he felt Fantasma's body jerk. Slowly, he leaned back, his horrified eyes looking at her expression. Blood was coming out of her mouth which was sporting a small smile and teary eyes, "L-live…"

"No. No. No. No…" He kept chanting the word over and over again, hoping that his protests would bring her back to him as he fell to the ground, holding her deceased form as he did so. His eyes remained locked on her, clear anguish-filled sobs escaping him as he could no longer control the desperation within. He cried out loudly, feeling as though someone was holding his heart in the palm of their hand and was crushing it like it was some nasty insect to be squashed.

"Yes. This is just what I was hoping for. The expression of a person losing the one they love! The son of my father's brother, no less!" Francesco's voice echoed in the throne room whilst Nova could barely look up to notice Oliver holding Fanta's heart in the palm of his hand, giving the white haired teen an indifferent expression.

"W-why... Oliver? Just…. Why?" His voice was weak, broken, and Oliver gave Nova a small smile.

"I'd rather play for the winning side."

Nova gave no reply. He couldn't move anymore. The force restricting him was no longer there, but he couldn't move either way. He couldn't muster up the strength nor the resolve. He just saw no point to it. Everyone was dead. Everyone he cared about or loved was now dead, killed right in front of him, and he couldn't do a single thing to stop or change that. He sunk in misery as he leaned down, the tears on his cheeks having dried out completely as his forehead pushed against Fantasma's chest.

"How easily broken you are, son of the King." Francesco spoke through a sinister and gleeful chuckle as he crouched down in front of Nova, a triumphant smirk etched on his features, "Yes, you let every single one of your friends die while attempting this coup, Belcross. You murdered the king of Pergrande, yet you still failed, and now you are the most wanted criminal in the country. My intervention is no longer necessary." The black haired man stood up while laughing to himself, "We shall let the guards handle you."

Nova, however, didn't register a single word that came out of Francesco's mouth. No, he _couldn't_ even force himself to hear them. He was too lost in his own thoughts, too lost in the various scenarios popping up in his head where he did something different. Where his friends lived. And that served only to worsen his condition, to make him hate himself more than the enemy. He was completely oblivious when Francesco, Oliver, and the little girl disappeared from the area, and he didn't care either way. He stared at Fantasma's dead body with an emotionless expression, noticing the smile on her face that was now paler than ever before.

_Are you going to let them go?_

He ignored it. He didn't want anything to do with it.

_How can you disgrace your friends like that?_

His ears twitched at the sound of footsteps approaching.

_Are you just going to sit there and cry while those who murdered your friends escape?_

They were getting closer. He was holding back.

_Just let go._

He grit his teeth.

_Become who you were truly meant to be._

An armored hand touched him.

_Become the King._

Confusion became certainty.

Longing became thirst.

Weakness became strength.

Despair became rage.

Snow white became pitch black.

Lavender became gold.

Azure became crimson.

Justice became vengeance.

Time seemingly stopped as a feral demonic roar deafened Castelana's skies, and the explosion of crimson that followed shook the entire kingdom as it obliterated the military's main base in the capital, taking the lives of tens of thousands of men that were there to capture the traitor known as Nova Belcross.

The blast left a massive crater in the ground that was aptly named The Scar.

And the night of the Ninth of July would forever be remembered as the Night of the Crimson Moon. The night where lightning as dark as blood danced above Castelana, and promised vengeance to those with the sigil of a pure flower shadowed in darkness.


End file.
